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This idea of walking into a brick-and-mortar store, picking something up off the shelf, paying for it with a tap, and walking out without ever interacting with a store employee would have seemed far-fetched a few years ago. Today, it has become a reality in numerous stores across the globe.

More specifically, self-checkout or self-service checkouts are quickly becoming the norm in supermarkets and chain retailers, including UK’s Tesco, Morrison, and Sainsbury; Germany’s Aldi Nord; and Israel’s Shufersal. At the same time, quick-service restaurants such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell have also become proponents of the self-serve kiosk movement — and not without reason. As these companies have discovered, when customers get the opportunity to browse the menu for a little bit longer, they feel less pressure, and ultimately end up spending more. 

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McDonald's, as everyone knows, took a pioneering role in food service several years ago when it rolled out its self-order kiosks. "What they found is consumers really want more control of the transaction," Moxey said.

"Consumers wanted to know exactly what they were getting… and they didn't feel pressure about somebody asking if they wanted a side."  The irony, he said, is that McDonald's customers purchased more from a kiosk than they did from a server.  "When consumers feel less pressure, they feel more comfortable…and we buy more," he said. They will spend 20% to 40% more per transaction in an unattended setting. According to the research, half of the consumers think unattended is faster, and more than a third of consumers think unattended is more efficient, Moxey said. Two-thirds say it is more comfortable, and one-third like the ability to browse and purchase without interacting with employees.

The biggest takeaway is consumers don't feel pressure and they feel safe.  "Unattended consumers are loyal to unattended," Moxey said. "The more unattended we have, the more consumers we bring along to more places. They seek new experiences, and they seek incentive programs."  "This is truly a technological generation."

And it will continue to grow.

Research shows that 29.3 percent of consumers would make more purchases, and 24.6 percent would spend more per purchase when shopping at unattended locations than at traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

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As unattended retail grows in popularity, part of the credit for its quick adoption needs to be attributed to the ongoing pandemic. While standing in the checkout line used to be an annoyance, with COVID-19, it also became a health risk.

With nearly 98% of US grocery sales typically taking place in the stores before the pandemic, safety-minded customers started showing a willingness to download retail apps, try out services like curbside pickup, and minimize interactions with cashiers or other customers.  Since people of all ages started paying more attention to hand hygiene and the surfaces they touched, COVID-19 also marked the beginning of a cashless revolution across the world. ATM withdrawals fell dramatically in several countries, while thousands of vendors added a cashless payment system to allow consumers to make purchases with the tap of a card or by quickly scanning a QR code.

In such an environment, contactless unattended retail options like smart vending machines and micro markets are considered “safer” than traditional in-store purchases. Customers also appreciate that many vending products come pre-packaged to ensure hygiene.

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Great Resignation 

The Great Resignation, a term coined in May 2021, describes the record number of people leaving their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. After an extended period of working from home with no commute, many people have decided their work-life balance has become more important to them.

This revolution in the world of work appears to be continuing apace, with one in five workers globally planning to quit in 2022. That’s the key finding of consultancy firm PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of more than 52,000 workers in 44 countries and territories, carried out in March 2022. It says pay is unsurprisingly the main factor in people wanting to change jobs, with 71% citing it as a key reason. Airports, grocery, restaurants, hotels, and more are experiencing record challenges with maintaining labor to support critical business functions. 

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AI-driven unattended robots are the answer. Smart Automated Retail is focused on driving solutions to convert brands' transition to a business model requiring less or no dependence on human labor. 

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Value Proposition

Smart Automated Retail provides an end-to-end solution to convert your brand into an unattended version that operates faster, and satisfies more clients per day than your current analog model. 

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Costs for Your Brand

Smart Automated Retail requires your design staff to participate in your automated brand version. We will need access to your data analytics to accurately select recommended locations and align your new location success with your previous ones. Smart Automated Retail will cover the following costs;

capital expenditures to build the technology platform

installation 

service

placement locations

lease location

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Business Model

Smart Automated Retail is seeking innovative brands seeking growth. Smart Automated Retail will buy your brand's products at wholesale price and sell to the public at retail price. 

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Brand License

We are ready to work with your team to license your brand to expand your footprint.

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Activations Waiting

Smart Automated Retail has thousands of retail locations waiting on your brand. 

/12,000 hotels

/20,000 grocery stores

/2 high-end condo development projects

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Get Started Today

Smart Automated Retail sits in a unique position in the marketplace offering multiple points of activation for your brand. Smart Automated Retail is ready to activate your brand in markets where your customer's shop. We have grocery, hotels, and more in every area and zip code in North America.

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